On Friday, Floridas congressional delegation once again split on party lines over President Barack Obamas federal health care. Despite being passed and signed into law in 2010 and ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, the issue remains contentious.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House voted to repeal the law on Friday, which has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate. The House also passed the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act on Friday. The legislation, which has a better shot of clearing the Senate than repeal efforts, would make the Health and Human Services Department inform Americans if their personal information was compromised by health care exchanges set up by the law. The House backed the legislation with 291 congressmen, including 67 Democrats, voting to support it while 122 voted against it.
U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., weighed in on why he voted for the measure on Friday.
Americans deserve protection from a law that has not delivered on its promises of lower costs and true choice: the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act passed by the House helps deliver that result, Crenshaw insisted. My focus is on replacing the Affordable Care Act with higher-quality, patient-centered health care that doesnt damage the economy. Along that road, families in Florida and across the nation should know if information they have provided to health care exchanges has been compromised. The United States Senate should act quickly and pass this legislation.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said it was time for Republicans to focus on other issues besides trying to repeal the health care law.
The House just voted for the 47th time to repeal Americans' health care, Wasserman Schultz insisted on Friday. Its time for the Republican majority to shift their priorities and focus on putting Americans back to work.
In the meantime, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a vocal opponent of the law and a possible Republican presidential contender in 2016, insisted the law could be used to bail out health insurance companies. Pointing to recent filing at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Rubio said the law could lead to federal monies going to bail out insurers hurt by the new program.
American taxpayers should not be on the hook for bailing out health insurers, especially because Obamacare is not working the way it was sold, said Rubio. Congress should take an Obamacare bailout off the table by passing legislation Ive introduced to repeal the so-called risk corridor provision under the law.
If Obamacare can only survive through a taxpayer bailout of insurers, its yet another clear sign that it cant survive and isnt worth saving, Rubio continued.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
